Two Sides of The Coin
by WhoAmI28
Summary: Matthew is the lead singer of the famous band, Hetalia. What happens when he goes to school pretending to be a normal boy? Craziness of course! Not to mention that cute albino boy who expresses his hatred for Hetalia but gets attached to Matthew at first sight...
1. Chapter 1

"Close your tired eyes, relax and then, count from one to ten and open them. All these heavy thoughts will try to weigh you down, but not this time..."

The deafening cheers of thirty-thousand fans resounded through the vast space of the concert stadium. Bright lights and massive stage props littered the scene. A lone spotlight swept through the stage and focused on a figure in the centre, holding a microphone and singing his heart out. Another spotlight went on and joined the first one, this time stopping on the person holding a red electric guitar. Two more spotlights gathered on the stage and highlighted the drum player and the bass-holding Japanese man. The crowd once more screamed energetically and began chanting.

"Hetalia! Hetalia! Hetalia!..."

"Way up in the air you're finally free and you can stay up there right next to me. All this gravity will try to pull you down, but not this time….." the lead singer, Matthew Williams crooned. He scanned the horde of fans with his purple eyes and noted to himself that they had a lot more people now than their past concert in Seattle. He managed a small smile and winked to no one in particular causing the people in the nearby vicinity to initiate their fangirl (and fanboy) screams.

Next to him, guitar-player Alfred Jones was trying very hard to keep his mind together. He was stressed, hungry and enraged that their manager Francis Bonnefoy took away his hamburger and called him fatty. He was most definitely not fat, just big-boned. Screw that, he WAS chubby but not THAT chubby. Seriously, he was normal. His brows furrowed with mixed confusion and anger. He didn't realize after a while that he was beginning to play a different song. He snapped out of his stupor and returned to the right notes. Shit, he thought, that was close. Glad nobody noticed.

He was most definitely wrong. Arthur Kirkland ran a lot of swear words in his mind. Alfred was falling behind tempo and he was doing his best to cover it up. What the fuck is that bloody American thinking about? Matthew was starting to notice too but paid no heed and tried to adapt to Alfred's decreasing speed. Arthur frowned and concentrated more on playing the drums. The hardest part was coming up and he barely nailed it in their last rehearsal. He was secretly happy that the fans couldn't seem to see that they were a complete mess on the stage.

Meanwhile, the Japanese bass-player, Kiku Honda, was calmly plucking the strings to his white bass guitar. His thoughts were not centered on the concert being held and he only faintly noticed that they were a disaster. He thought about the stray kitten he had seen on the alleyway by the café they went to yesterday. He wanted to bring the cute kitty but their manager had a strict rule of "No Pets Allowed" in their apartment. His mind went back to the concert and he noted that the fans were shrieking their heads off. He was serene as he watched them. He never worried about their performance. He knew that as long as they played together, the people will never notice their mistakes. They almost always never did.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking of, you twat!" Arthur yelled as he whacked Alfred's head with his drumstick. "You nearly made us fall apart! Good thing our fans are oblivious as usual!"

Alfred whined and tried to block off Arthur's attacks with his arms. "I was just wondering if Francis would give me back my Big Mac!Or if I could go out secretly and buy one!"

The Englishman grunted in annoyance and started pulling in Alfred's hair. "You." Pull. "Stupid." Pull. "IDIOT!" He gave a particular harsh yank that made the American boy fall backward from the couch that he was currently residing on. The two blond men tumbled on the floor. "Get off me! You stupid excuse for a human being!"

"Ouch, eyebrows, that kinda hurt."

"It should because it's the truth."

"Why don't you go drink your tea and eat your horrible scones somewhere else and stop bothering me?"

"Hey, it's even better than the thing you call food. Fatty!"

"Stop calling me that! I'm not fat!"

"Yes you fucking are!"

"Stop it guys." The normally quiet dark-haired boy piped up. He was really tired of Alfred and Arthur's bickering. In fact, he heard it so much that he started dreaming about them which maddened him to an extreme extent.

"See? Kiku agrees with me. Your scones are horrible and you have thick caterpillar eyebrows!" Alfred jabbed a finger on the centre of the Brit's chest.

"He was saying nothing of the sort. Are you daft or something? If you are it wouldn't surprise me." Arthur retorted back.

"Please stop it, Arthur-san, Alfred-san." The boy pleaded.

"I'm the effing hero, I'm always right!"

"There you go again, being your conceited self. Careful, it might poison you someday."

"Stop it, guys."

"Nothing can poison the hero."

"Flying Mint Bunny doesn't think so."

"Please stop."

"Haha, talking with your imaginary friend again? You should check yourself in a mental hospital. He really should, right, Mattie?"

"Huh?" the lead singer responded.

"I said, Arthur's crazy."

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?"

"Watcha doin' there?" Alfred strutted to the air bed that Matthew was currently sprawled on, chewing one end of a pencil with his right hand and holding a binder with another. His face was scrunched up in concentration and his lavender eyes were darker than usual.

Kiku sighed in relief. Alfred was currently distracted thanks to Matthew. "Um, Arthur-san? Would you mind grabbing a few drinks with me? I'm feeling oddly thirsty" Arthur glared at Alfred for a few seconds before nodding and following the smaller man out of the room effectively breaking up the fight.

"I'm doing my biology homework, Al" Matthew replied.

"Homework? Ohhhh, right, you go to school."

"Uh-huh."

"What do you need school for? We're pop stars! We don't need a degree. You just show those people your ID then, BAM!" he smacked his hand on the air bed to emphasize his point. "Cha-ching."

"You always forget that they make us perform first before the 'cha-ching'"

"Who cares? Performing is easy. "

"Says the guy who nearly screwed up our concert."

"Seriously, Matt, Why do you go to school?"

Matthew shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to explain to him why he wasted his time doing hard Math problems and constantly struggling with school and work.

Alfred's question took him back to the time when he was 13. It was a very cold day which was typical in Canada and the children were out playing and enjoying their summer freedom. He had been discovered by a talent agent during one of his summer camp music recitals. He was into theatre arts then and he couldn't believe his luck when the agent booked him a fight to Los Angeles the following day to meet a few movie directors who were in need of an actor to play unfilled roles. His family was very happy for him too. They said it was his lucky break. He flew to Los Angeles two days after and got a starring role in a movie that received a lot of awards. His director told him that he was very much talented and was exceptionally good at capturing the character's personality and memorizing the script. By the age of 14 he had countless of movies and more money than he ever had in his whole life. It was then that he was found to have a brilliant voice and with his popularity, he managed to sign a contract with the most famous recording company in less than a month. Weeks passed, albums were made and by the time he was 15, he met an amazing American guitar player (Alfred obviously) and decided to form a band with a British drum-player (Arthur) and Japanese bassist (Kiku) who were Alfred's childhood friends. Hetalia was born on that day and still lived up till now.

He wasn't sure when it started. He began to be suffocated by fame and all the glittering lights. Everything seemed fake to him and he wanted to relieve himself from all the press and screaming fans. He turned to alcohol. He could forget his troubles with just five bottles, two if it were really strong. He was underage, he knew, but if you were a pop star with a lot of money to burn, you could get away with almost anything. One day, he woke up with a really bad hangover with no memory of the last night. He was somehow in a high-school class. He asked the guy next to him what the time was and he half expected the guy to shriek and tell the students that an actor/singer was in their class but instead he stared at him with a puzzled expression, told him he looked like shit and that it was 9:56. He could've laughed but he was scared that the teacher might find out that an additional student was in the room. Come to think of it, he never went to school after 7th grade. I should go back, he chuckled in his mind. It sounded so absurd at first but it made sense later. He enrolled himself into a high-school, bought a pair of fake wire-rimmed glasses and tried hard to conceal his identity. Nobody payed much attention to him. Nobody took pictures or stalked him or surprise interviewed him. He was nothing more than Matthew Williams (It's a common name), B average student. It was utter bliss.

He was absent every now and then (Okay, most of the time) but the principal and teachers knew and understood about his situation. He also told his band-mates and manager that he was going to school. They didn't think much about it since it wasn't getting in the way of his career. Matthew always felt guilty about being not present in class so he made it up by trying his best in homework and schoolwork. Things have been running smoothly so far.

"Mattie, you've been spacing out for more than 15 minutes now. It makes me think that you're reviewing you're life so far." Alfred said as he bounced on the bed, trying to get Matthew's attention. "It makes me feel so ignored."

"I kind of am." Matthew sighed and returned to his Biology homework. He couldn't ask Alfred about this stuff since he clearly wanted nothing to do about it.

"Hey, Mattie?"

"Hmmn?" he asked half-paying attention to Alfred. Question # 15 was really hard and he doubted that he could make a 200-word essay in less than 30 minutes. They had a T.V. appearance in about 3 hours and preparation and travel took about 2 and a half hours.

"I was wondering if maybe we could-"

"Mon cher, Mathieu! Alfred! Amazing concert as usual! Outstanding!" their manager, Francis sauntered into the room. He stopped in front of them and put his hands on his waist.

"Where are Kiku and Angleterre?"

"Oh, hey, Francis," Matthew replied "They're out to get some drinks, they should be back. Do you know the answer to this?" he held out his binder to him.

"I'm afraid not. Biology was not my top priority in school."

"Getting laid was then?" Alfred asked rather coldly.

"Ouch. Why so grumpy?"

Alfred grunted in return and mumbled something about his Big Mac. Francis looked at Matthew who shrugged and returned to his homework.

"You didn't notice our ginormous mistakes?"

"Nonsense, nonsense. It was perfect."

"So, Francis, are we free this Monday?"

"So far, we are. No interviews, no shootings and no TV appearances."

Matthew let out a sigh of relief and grinned. He was free to go to school and take his Algebra test."Thanks."

"No problem. I see you're trying hard in school. The nerves might get to you, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"Let's go get a bite or something."

"Finally!" Alfred yelled triumphantly "McDonalds!"

"No thanks, we don't want to be as fat as you."

"I'm not fat!"

"Sure you are." Arthur said from the doorway. He held out a can of ice cold Coca-Cola while Kiku was right behind him holding a juice box. He was flipping through a manga that was written in Japanese, staring at it real hard like it might show him the secrets of the universe.

"No, I'm not. Maybe you are." Alfred snapped.

"Guys, guys, don't fight." Matthew tried to butt in.

"Yeah, I'm fat. I can see that."

"Good."

"I was being sarcastic, nitwit!"

"I was also being sarca-"

"BOYS! You'd better move your sorry asses outside or else I'm gonna move it out for you!" Matthew yelled and held out his trusty hockey stick which he always brought with him, believing it was his lucky charm.

"Yessir!" Alfred saluted as he dragged Francis with him outside of their dressing room. Arthur followed suit and dragged Kiku who was still reading the book with a prominent blush on his face. Matthew wondered what that was about. He gathered his stuff, closed the lights and headed towards his band-mates.

Bright flashing lights met him instantly and he took a step back as they blinded him. Press, he thought bitterly. The white spots on his vision cleared, making him see the scene before him. Hundreds of cameras were snapping away and a lot of reporters were holding out their microphones, babbling at the same time. He shielded his eyes as he faintly heard Francis's voice talking in the background.

"One question at a time, please." It said.

A plump woman with wavy jet-black hair stepped forward, raising her hand as if she was a student wanting to be called by the teacher. Francis nodded to her and the woman motioned to the camera man to move closer.

"Matthew and Alfred, what do you think about the fans calling you two a hot item?"

Matthew nearly choked on his own saliva. "Excuse me, what?"

"A lot of fans have been drawing fanarts, writing fanfictions and selling merchandise in your honor. Tell us, were dying to know, are you the real deal?"

"I don't think s-"

"We'll let the fans decide about that." Alfred said and casually put his arm around Matthew who was turning tomato-red at this point. He flashed a peace sign as the cameras worked furiously to capture the moment.

Matthew broke free and glared at Alfred as if to say: What the fuck?

The female reporter giggled and retreated, allowing a few more reporters to step forward with their hands raised. Francis nodded to a male reporter with auburn hair and he stepped forward rather timidly, nearly stumbling on his own foot. Alfred sniggered under his breath while Arthur shot him a deathly glare.

"When is the next album coming up?"

"I don't know," Francis replied, his voice thick with accent "A few more weeks maybe, Raymond is arranging all the dates but were sure it won't take until next month….."

Matthew tried to tune out the conversation and looked instead past the reporters and camera men. Ribbons of moonlight were seeping through the windows casting eerie shadows on the things they touched. A flash of movement caught his eye and he watched in fascination as a guy clad in black by the door whipped out his phone and started taking pictures in their direction. He knew he should be wondering why the guy was there in the first place but the thought that echoed in his mind spoke of something different: He's never going to get a good shot from there. Sure enough, the person frowned, punched a few buttons and started taking pictures again. Matthew watched, amused, as the man repeated the cycle over and over again. He didn't even realize that he was laughing silently until Kiku elbowed him on the ribs and sent him a strange look.

"Are you okay, Matthew-san?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure I am. Hey, look at that guy by the door with the phone." He pointed to the doorway but nobody was there. He glanced around, finding no signs of the man in the black zip-up hoodie. Kiku stared at him with the weird look again.

"I'm telling you, he was there, taking pictures of us."

"H-hai." the smaller boy said uneasily.

He couldn't understand. Was he hallucinating? Drunk? (Although it didn't seem so. He would never be drunk on a concert) He surely hadn't taken drugs and he knew he was conscious.

"Were going." Alfred whispered to him. He nodded absent-mindedly.

He felt the sensation of being pulled but didn't register the fact that they were moving. He only realized that they were outside when the cold evening air whipped through his hair and made him shiver. Alfred noticed this and hurriedly gave him his jacket with the American flag on the front. He politely declined, shuffled to their band van and turned up the heater really high.

He pulled out his iPod and set it on shuffle, randomly picking a song from his playlist. He hummed to himself and looked around. Alfred was tuning his guitar, Arthur was tapping his drum sticks lightly on the seat in front of him, Francis was talking on the phone and Kiku was reading another one of his comic books, red tinting his cheeks. Matthew asked what it was about. Kiku looked bashful and held it up. On the cover was an anime version of him and Alfred cuddling. He paled and looked through the window.

"Where are we going, Francis?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, give me a minute, mon ange; I'm speaking to Raymond over the phone."

He nodded and fiddled with his iPod only to be tapped by the shoulder rather hard by Alfred.

"Want to play chubby bunnies, Matt?" he held out a bag of marshmallows. The big kind.

Matthew shook his head furiously. Just looking at the white marshmallows made him sick so he turned back to the window. What he saw made him narrow his eyes.

A man on a bike, clad in black, phone glinting on his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm telling you Ivan, drop me off right here." Matthew demanded

"But it's a block away from school. Who knows what will happen until then Let me drive you all the way." his Russian chauffeur said from the front seat of the limousine.

"What part of 'incognito' don't you get? I don't want them to know I'm secretly famous, that would blow up my chance of a normal life!" the blond hissed.

"Okay but when somebody tries to lay a hand on you; I'll rip their guts out, da?" A dark aura surrounded the large man for a moment and a sadistic grin stretched over his pale lips. Matthew shivered as chills ran up his spine. Seriously, where had Francis pick this man up?

"Um, fine, whatever. Bye, see you after school. Park here, you understand? Don't go barging into the classroom demanding for Matthew Williams like last time. I had to work hard to clear the rumours that I was a son of a mafia boss or something."

Ivan chuckled. Matthew gave him a dark look.

"Park here." He said sternly, pointing on the ground by his feet. Ivan raised a platinum-blond eyebrow but nodded, nevertheless and zoomed away.

Matthew sighed, tied his hair into a ponytail and kept his head down. He walked on a steady pace until he could see the familiar reddish-brown walls of his school. He imprinted in his mind the heavy chatter of the students and the smell of earth in the air. If only I could be normal. If only I could stay like this forever.

"Oh em gee,"

His head whipped around for the source of the Polish-accented voice and found a blond boy wearing a red checkered skirt, a white blouse and a red checkered necktie. His mouth was pulled down into a frown, anger carved into his features. His arms were crossed across his chest.

A bystander would think that the boy had something against Matthew and that a huge fight would break out (The man would probably yell: "Back off, biatch!) but the blond boy stayed where he was. Matthew smiled.

"Feliks," he nodded.

"Oh em gee," Feliks repeated "You're wearing that hideous red hoodie again. It, like, totally hides your amazing figure. Where's that awesome pink frilly dress that I lent you 2 months ago? That was, like, my all-time favorite."

Matthew rolled his eyes "Good morning to you too."

The Polish exchange student could be such a chatterbox at times but he never asked a question that made Matthew too uneasy. That's why he was the perfect friend. He just talked about school, boys, fashion and himself most of the time. Matthew loved listening to him go on about random stuff for hours only stopping to ask him about his comments on the said topic.

"They said that a transferee from Lithuania, or wherever that was, is coming today. I heard his super hot. Not like I-have-a-lot-of-money-I'm-a-movie-star-slash-jock kind of guy. The cute type, with nerdy glasses and all that shit. I know it's not like me and it's a change but change is good right?"

Matthew cringed but Feliks didn't seem to notice. Wow, movie star and nerds all in one sentence.

"Hey!" the other blond continued "I just thought of something. What if he was a movie star just pretending to be a nerd? OMG, that's totes awesome, like, freaking Hannah Montana!"

Matthew winced a little more at this statement.

"What's up with you? Hate Miley Cyrus much? Geez."

"No, it's just from my stomach. It, uh, really hurts like hell right now."

"Go to the clinic. I definitely don't want you barfing up on my new outfit especially when a potential boyfriend is arriving."

"You don't even know if he swings that way."

"He will." Feliks purred suggestively. Matthew rolled his eyes again.

Matthew thought for a moment and remembered that last time he saw Feliks he HAD a boyfriend. They had been hot and heavy that week, attempting to grope each other in the cafeteria. The only thing that practically separated the green-eyed man from letting his boyfriend shag him in public was that he promised Matthew no icky stuff while he was around. God knows what they had been doing when he turned his back.

"Don't you have a boyfriend? You did the last time I was around" Matthew finally asked him.

"Oh puh-lease. That was like, a century ago. He dumped me over that skank in the cheerleading team and didn't even feel sorry. Whatever. I, like, am so much hotter than her and he just doesn't deserve someone like me."

The Canadian nodded solemnly and watched a bit as his friend's eyes watered. He instantly regretted that he had ever asked.

"Where have you been lately? You missed it when Mr. Morgan's lab coat caught on fire. He did the stop drop and roll thing on the classroom floor. Can you believe it? We went ballistic!"

Matthew smiled. Mr. Morgan was strangely afraid to talk in front of a crowd. He was awkward when it came to teaching and tripped over his own words. Rolling in front of the class took a lot of effort and courage that he thought Alfred wouldn't even do it (But what did he know? Alfred was the most unpredictable guy in the planet.)Maybe Mr. Morgan was coming out from his shell?

"I had an…accident," He lied.

"I should've known." Feliks muttered "How many accidents have you had just this school year? I bet you have broken, like, every bone in your body at least once."

They heard the first bell ring and they hurried to their classes immediately. Matthew chuckled in amusement as he watched a kid grab the chest of what seemed like a Chinese student, claiming that it now belonged to Korea. Two Italian twins were arguing but it was the darker-haired one that did most of the talking and cussing. An auburn-haired woman was swinging around a frying pan (Where did she get that?) trying to hit an albino who kept laughing boisterously.

"Is it always this fun?"

Feliks eyed him "You call this fun? You know, Matt, I sometimes wonder where in the world you're from. Were you, like, homeschooled or something?"

No. Matthew thought sadly. I didn't go to school for a long time that I forgot what it was like.  
>"Yeah, I was."<p>

They stepped into their classroom. Matthew waved goodbye to Feliks as he sat in the back row. They had French first then Biology then Home Ec so from here until lunch no one would bother him and leave him alone.

The class went by smoothly at first. He was fluent in French being raised in Canada and all so he barely listened to the teacher. He spent most of his time doodling on paper. The teacher never called him anyway.

"Williams!" a rough voice barked.

The said boy smirked. He was imagining things again.

"Williams!"

Oh, it was real.

"Y-yes, S-sir?" He jumped up in surprise just as his elastic band broke, sending his golden hair into a flurry. He blushed. Of all days why now?

The teacher laughed. "I was just announcing the results of your last exams. You got an A+ by the way. Sit down."

A few giggles erupted from the class as he sat down. Pitying looks were also sent his way.  
>"Hey," his seatmate poked his shoulder. "Hey!"<p>

"What?!" he turned to the guy beside him. He recognized that it was the albino in the hallway with the auburn-haired girl. The guy's left cheek was red and he was sure it would turn into a nasty bruise (Probably from the frying pan).

"I haven't seen you around here and I usually sit on this table alone. Are you new here?"

Matthew shook his head and beckoned him to be quiet.

"What's your name, birdie?"

"Matthew." He replied.

"So," the albino said, prolonging the o "Matthew Williams?"

The said boy nodded his head and forced himself to listen to the monotonous drone of the teacher's voice repeating things that he already knew.

"Like the actor-slash-singer?"

Matthew stiffened but nodded again hesitantly.

"I'm Gilbert Bieldshmidt. I'm a transfer student from Germany or the place I'd like to call Prussia."

Gilbert took a quick peer at Matthew's face. "You don't look like Matthew Williams."

Matthew snorted at the remark. His seatmate looked at him as if he were crazy.

"What?" Gilbert demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," Matthew tried hard not to laugh. It hurt his stomach trying. "I mean, pffft, me? Look like Matthew Williams? Impossible!"

"I know right? And you're a pretty awesome person, unlike that pussy!"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, he prances around all cool and whatnot, gets all the girls and then reveals he's a faggot. Worst of it is that he's going out with Jones, the band guitarist. Just look at that obnoxious jerk? How low can you get?"

Matthew gritted his teeth. It was true he announced publicly three months ago that he was gay but he was NOT dating Alfred. And what was this guy's pain?

"For your information, I- I mean Matthew's not dating Alfred! It's all just that lazy American's foolishness. And stop calling people faggots, it's not polite."

"But Williams is not people, he's a person and I can call a person a faggot."

Matthew was seriously having second thoughts about calling Ivan.

"He's not dating Alfred! He's with, um, Francis...?"

For a brief moment Matthew saw something in the albino's eyes that looked a lot like jealousy but it changed to normal so fast that he thought he was only imagining it.

"I'm not buying it, fanboy." Gilbert sneered.

"So what? Gonna call me a faggot too? Matthew leered back.

They kept their heated eye contact till Gilbert looked away and laughed.

"Of course I'm not gonna call you a faggot. You're an awesome Birdie!" he ruffled Matthew's hair playfully.

"Whoa, it's so soft!" The Prussian man kept patting Matthew's hair a little too long for the blonde's taste.

"Stop touching! Don't burst my personal bubble!" he pushed Gilbert's arm away.

"Bieldschmidt! Williams! You two…lovebirds can do that later privately, I'm in the middle of a very interesting lecture here!"

A handful of giggles erupted from the class. A girl near the front squealed.

"Elizaveta, I know that's you!" Gilbert growled.

"Interesting. Yeah, right." Matthew muttered. He wasn't expecting Gilbert to hear his statement but to his surprise, the albino did and sniggered loudly.

His laugh is kinda funny and weird but cute at the same time. WTF am I thinking? This guy just insulted me! And I most certainly am not dating "American Alfred"!

"Kesesese, want to play a little prank on him?"

"W-what? N-non!" Matthew whisper-yelled.

Gilbert smirked, tore a page in his notebook and scribbled on it. He then proceeded to fold it into a tiny square and passed it to the guy in front. The guy smiled knowingly and passed it to the girl by his left. In five minutes, the paper was successfully passed to every student and they were all grinning madly.

"What did you do?" Matthew demanded as he watched a blond boy with red streaks in his hair pull out his heavy Math book.

"Oh, you'll see," the Prussian said with a hint of amusement in his voice "In about….now."

BANG!

Matthew was so startled that he jumped in his seat. All of the students laughed hysterically while the teacher turned red. With anger or with embarrassment, Matthew didn't know but all he knew was that all of the people dropped their Math books on the floor at the same time which then created the loud thudding sound.

"Gilbert!" Matthew yelled.

Gilbert didn't answer. He was hunched over by their table, his right hand pounding on it and his left hand clutching his stomach. He was so red that it looked weird compared to the snow white complexion of his arms. This time, Matthew was sure that the redness was because of laughter.

The look on Gilbert's face sent Matthew laughing. All of the students including the teacher stared at him but he kept going, the image of the albino burned in his brain.

**AN: Hey, guys, this is my first story so please be gentle with me. No flames please. T.T I hope you enjoy...**


	3. Chapter 3

"Maaaaaatthew!"

"Mattheeeeeeew!"

"Matthew!"

"Matthew! Snap out of it!"

Matthew felt like his head was in water. Everything sounded so surreal and distant... until someone decided to whip him on the side with a wet towel which caused him to yelp in slight pain.

"Alfred," He said coldly, giving the said American his meaner-than-mean stare.

Alfred shivered lightly but his grin didn't waver. "Duuuuude, you've been doing the same dance step over and over again. I know that you're nervous about our band taking on this new dance perspective and that you want to get everything absolutely perfect being the little perfectionist you are but that move is starting to look kinda funny."

"Speak for yourself, twat." The British member said from the corner of the room where he and Kiku were laying on the couch together, taking a break. "I bloody swear that you have two fucking left feet."

"Waaaah! Kiku, tell him it's not true! It's not true, right?!"

Kiku looked away for a while as if thinking and turned back to Alfred. "I-I think there is room for you to improve, Alfred-san."

"I think Matthew dances the best. You should learn a thing or two from him." Arthur nodded at the smaller blond.

"Oh, yeah? Well let's have a showdown then!"

"Eh?" Matthew's eyes widened. He so did not have time for this. There was still a book analysis due on Thursday that he had abandoned just for dance practice. Not to mention that quiz on History...

Alfred walked coolly towards him and did a move that was a cross between a child wanting to pee and a chicken wanting to lay an egg. It was, to say the least, very awkward and the group could not help but laugh loudly at the American's antics.

"Let's see you top that!" The said guy yelled breathily.

"I don't ... hahaha...really... hahaha... want to-" Matthew clutched his stomach from too much laughing.

"Too much of a chicken, Matt?"

The room instantly silenced. Arthur smirked lightly as he stared at the two blonds while Kiku looked concerned for Alfred. Matthew flashed Alfred an "oh-you-didnt" face as he sauntered towards him, removing his jacket and throwing it somewhere across the room. He started dancing in a series of complex dance moves, completely losing his shyness in favour of putting Alfred in his place, which he ended in a dramatic hip thrust. He looked up at his band mates and finally the embarrassment hit him full force as he blushed darkly, the colour spreading to his ears and down his neck. They were all looking at him in disbelief.

"W-was it that bad?"

"Bad?!" Alfred suddenly snapped from his reverie."Bad?!"

"Yeah?"

"You were damn hot, Mattie!" Alfred ran and glomped Matthew babbling something about how he was so proud that he picked someone so deserving and that Matthew should dance more often and how he would like to learn more from him (Which he all said annoyingly except that last part which he said seductively.)

"That was pretty good, lad" The Englishman smiled. "You truly are our 'golden youngest'."

"'Golden youngest'? What's that?" Matthew asked.

"It's a term for the youngest in a group who has a lot of extraordinary talents all at once." Kiku said quietly.

Matthew blushed at the compliment as he tried to push Alfred off of him. "Thanks, I guess."

It was that moment that Francis decided to enter the room with a cell phone pressed up to his ear. "Are you kids done? Would you like to have some lunch?"

"Are you actually talking to us or your phone?" Alfred asked while disentangling himself from the Canadian.

"To you."

"Oh, were starving."

"Great. Meet me at eleven on the sixteenth floor. You know what to bring."

"Huh?"

"I wasn't talking to you, ma cherie." Francis ended the call.

"Oh."

"So do you want to go out to eat? I shall call security to accompany you outside." The Frenchman once again brought the cell phone to his ear to call the service booth of the hotel they were staying at, not even waiting for anyone to respond. He gave each of the members a 50 dollar bill as he ushered them outside the hotel and into the tight circle of security guards.

Alfred crumpled the 50 dollar bill as he walked. "Did Francis forget that we all have credit cards?"

"He's a very busy man. He might have forgotten," Kiku replied.

"Where exactly are we going?" Matthew asked.

"I know this fast food restaurant just around the corner. I used to go there with Eyebrows back when we were just budding artists."

Arthur's eye twitched at the statement but it was clear that he was trying to hold back in front of the fans that were currently screaming and trying to claw at them from the human wall of guards. After five minutes of walking, the orange and yellow restaurant finally came into view. The four friends ducked in while the security guards stayed outside to block the fans who wanted to go in with them. Alfred pulled Matthew to a booth near the window and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He then pressed a kiss to the wide-eyed Matthew's cheek and jaw which increased the screams outside the restaurant, almost rendering everybody deaf. Alfred smirked.

"Attention whore," Matthew mumbled softly, feeling as though his bones had turned to jelly. Why did Alfred have to be so obnoxious?

"You know it, baby."

Matthew pushed Alfred off of him and proceeded to look at the menu. Alfred played with his hair.

"Geez, why does everybody do that?" The violet-eyed man huffed and yanked his hair out of the other's grasp. "Trade seats with me Arthur."

"Sorry, love. I don't want to sit with him either."

"Kiku."

Kiku shook his head and bowed slightly as he muttered apologies. He did not want the AmeCan moment to stop just yet. Matthew sighed and fidddled with the napkin holder.

"Wait, what do you mean by everyone?!" Alfred suddenly said as if realizing something.

"What?"

"You said everyone liked touching your hair!"

"Oh, it's nothing, just this kid from my class-"

"Is he hot!?"

"Wh-what are you-"

"Hotter than me!?"

"I don't even-"

"Please, tell me he isn't! I'm going to die!"

"Bloody hell, shut up, you kid!" Arthur whacked Alfred across the face with the menu, completely losing his cool. "My eardrums are going crazy with that annoying voice of yours!"

"But, Iggyyyyyy..."

"Don't call me that."

"Iggy."

"Shut up."

"Iggyyyyyy."

"Alfred, I'm warning you..."

"Whoah, you sounded just like my mom back there!"

"..."

"Are you dead?" Alfred poked the Brit on the cheek. "Iggy?"

Arthur stared at him long and hard before turning to Kiku and engaging himself with a deep conversation with the small Japanese man.

"Huh, He didn't blow a fuse this time. Good for him." Al said with a small grin.

A waitress approached them and asked for their orders. The four responded and she wrote it down on her notepad before leaving. Matthew looked around the restaurant. He immediately recognized the blond sitting in the booth by the corner with a light brown-haired guy. The black lacy skirt was unmistakable as it hiked up higher on the blonde's thighs, its owner straddling the other for a very intimate kiss. It looked like Feliks was doing well with the new Lithuanian student considering that they were already exchanging body fluids in public. Matthew cringed at his own thoughts.

"Watcha' looking at?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Nothing." He mumbled, turning away so the other couldn't see where his gaze was directed at.

After a few minutes, their orders arrived and all of them eagerly dug in. The table was silent except for Alfred's occasional mumblings that nobody could even decipher and the dull scrape of utensils on plates. It was a huge surprise when Matt's phone vibrated making him jump in surprise and hit his knees to the table, dislodging almost half of their food from the plates. He quickly apologized as he opened his phone.

"Feliks," The Canadian greeted stiffly. "What's up?"

"Like, where are you?" Feliks greeted back with laboured breath. "You're totally missing out."

"... Are you calling me while receiving a blowjob?"

"Uh, like, n-no?"

Matthew tried not to stare at the flash of movement in the Polish man's table. "You can't fool me."

"O-ok fine, but this is like, totally not breaking my promise. We aren't talking face-to-face."

"What do you want?" Matthew was starting to get uncomfortable with the stares that his band mates were giving him. He didn't blame them, he was spouting weird stuff and he knew it.

"Matthew Williams, not you, the celebrity guy, is in the restaurant I'm in right now. You would not believe how good he looks in person. And Arthur is just totes gorgeous."

"Oh, really?" Matthew feigned interest. He almost burst out laughing like an idiot save for the fact that he was being stared at by the whole restaurant plus the fans outside. He most certainly did not want to look crazy.

"Y-yeah... Shit,Toris...Mmmm..."

Matthew blushed and ended the call. He refused to stare at anyone, preferring to devote his attention to the grease-stained table cloth instead. Alfred resumed his past-time of playing with the Canadian's hair. He braided a part of it messily and clipped it with a white and red ribbon barrette, complete with matching lace.

"What the fuck, Al?"

"It's pretty!"

The singer hit his arm playfully and proceeded to take the girly thing off, only to be stopped by Kiku. He stared at the Japanese man oddly.

"Let me have the pleasure of putting this on camera..." The dark-haired man said timidly.

Alfred guffawed loudly. Arthur chuckled but didn't object to Kiku's proposal and even chided the violet-eyed man to hold still while the picture was being taken. They got kicked out of the restaurant soon after with a very enraged Canuck spitting venom and flailing around after Alfred tried to put some lip gloss on him.

"I swear if that picture gets leaked out, you know who's gonna get castrated after..." Matt smiled in a sweetly creepy way at Alfred who was clutching the camera tightly, fanboying.

"I will personally make sure that that won't happen," Arthur nodded in his general direction.

Before Matthew could even respond or say anything mildly witty, a tall guy wearing a dark blue beanie bumped into him, sending him backwards a few steps with a loud 'oof.'

"_Es tut mir leid," _The deep gravelly voice said and hurriedly continued to walk in a hasty pace towards an alley.

"Are you alright?" The Brit helped the youngest up, who ran a hand through his locks in frustration.

"Can't he watch where he's going?"

"He must be in a hurry."

The security guards who were courageously fighting back the crowd finally seemed to notice the commotion in the group and rushed over to them, taking their places to form a square of protection around the stars. They all went into the limo for their scheduled recording that afternoon. In the car, the boys quickly retreated to their normal activities: Alfred tuning his guitar, Arthur tapping the seats to some kind of made-up beat, Kiku reading some manga and Matthew listening to music. It was only when they were cruising smoothly along a particularly empty lane of the street was the comfortable silence broken by a certain loud-mouthed American.

"Mattie! Where's your barrette?!"


	4. Chapter 4

He didn't know if he should laugh or feel creeped out at the albino sitting beside him with a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Frankly, it didn't suit him. It made him look like a retarded child killer in one of those horror movies. Or a date rapist.

Matthew chuckled and shook Gilbert's shoulder roughly. "Wake up."

"Ouch, hey, that hurts! I'm not asleep!" The albino whined.

"You were almost drooling."

"Was not!"

"You make a pretty good 'Mexican Rape Face'"

"Huh?" Gilbert picked at his salad with a fork. "I didn't notice I was doing that."

"Why are you so happy anyway?"

"Something awesome happened,"

Gilbert didn't say anything else about the subject and Matthew didn't push him to say anything more, although he was really curious as to what event could possibly make a person look like a horror movie villain. He ate his sandwich in silence.

"Let's hang out later!" The taller man suddenly said.

"Eh? I'm going to the mall with Feliks at four. I promised him after he found out that I ripped his pink dress and fed it to my friend's Golden Retriever. If I don't show, he's gonna drag my ass there anyway."

The red-eyed man pouted and clutched his heart in fake hurt. "How could you?! My own best-friend leaving me... for a gay shopping spree!"

"First of all, Feliks is sorta my best friend. Second, I don't ever recall being best-friends with you. Third, we just met last week while I've known Feliks for almost a whole year now. Why should I pick you?"

"Because I'm awesome?" He flashed his black t-shirt which had 'AWESOME' printed on it in a silvery colour. "And I wouldn't take you to somewhere you wouldn't like. I'd take you somewhere almost as awesome as me."

"Nice try," Matt rolled his eyes "But I already made up my mind,"

In one swift motion, Gilbert snatched his glasses. Matthew gasped in shock and quickly looked down, covering his face with his hair. Curse Gilbert and his quick hands, he thought to himself, I wouldn't expect more from an ex-klepto.

"Give them back," The Canadian said through gritted teeth.

"Not until you hang-out with me,"

"Please..." Matthew felt around for his glasses, not daring to look up. He was sure Gilbert would recognize him without his glasses on, being the Matthew Williams hater that he is.

"Kesesese, you look exactly like that chick from the ring! Except the blond-haired male version. Look at me, Birdie!"

"N-no way! Give them back!"

"Promise me first."

"No! I promised Feliks already!"

"I can't take you seriously when you look like a girl that just crawled up a well. Look at me." Gilbert grasped Matthew's cheeks and yanked his head up, making the teen yelp and cover his face with his hands.

"I don't want you to see me like this..." The smaller male half-whispered and peeked his violet eyes from behind his fingers, making them wide and fearful to achieve the 'vulnerable' look. The German's smirk fell as he eyed the other with concern, making Matthew praise himself for his acting skills.

"Are you Ok? I-I'm sorry." He handed Matthew his glasses back and patted his head softly. "I didn't know you had issues and stuff. That was so unawesome."

The blond hastily put his glasses back on and gave Gilbert a look filled with gratitude. He kinda hated taking advantage of the albino that way but identity always came first, especially in his case.

Matt bumped his head on Gilbert's shoulder lightly. "Thanks."

"I swear you are bipolar or something. One moment you're yelling and giving cold stares at me and the next you're being cute with all that shit with your eyes and face and lips and stuff..."

"You know, you're not making that much sense but yes, I'm passive-aggressive."

"Scary," The taller man shuddered.

"My angry face isn't all that scary..."

"It's not your angry face I'm scared of. I'm scared of how quick you can change from blood-thirsty beast to huggable Canadian boy."

"That's not scary at all, Gil."

Gilbert just shrugged and drank his milk. "I can't think of anything scarier."

"I can. I can think of a lot of things scarier."

"Like what?"

"Your brother."

"Hey, my brother is cute!"

"Ghosts then."

"They're dead. They can't touch me."

"A bunch of big spiders?"

"They're just potatoes with furry legs."

"Potatoes, huh?" Matthew said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Anyway, you're missing the point!" The white-haired man waved his salad fork around. "I want to hang out with my totally awesome friend but you won't let me!"

"Oh? Why haven't you introduced me to this 'totally awesome friend' of yours?" The smaller male teased with a slight smirk.

"Dummkopf. I am referring to you and you know it."

"How many times must we have this conversation?"

"Till you finally realize that you should really be hanging with me instead of that guy."

Matthew huffed and drank some of his water. Ignoring Gilbert, he unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth. "This will never end then..."

"Tell you what," The albino pulled the lollipop out of the Canadian's mouth and put it in his, making the other blush deeply. "I will let you go to the mall with that guy but you will take me along."

"His name is Feliks," Matt responded quickly (almost too quickly...) "And you owe me a lollipop."

"What do you think? Is it a deal, mein Vögelchen?"

The blond bit his bottom lip, deep in thought. He knew that Gilbert was head-strong and would do anything to make him change his mind, so he took the easiest option presented to him: He looked at the taller teen and gave him a slow nod.

.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x-.x

"Which do you think looks better on me? Cherry Red or Hot Pink?"

The Prussians right eye twitched uncontrollably as he was presented vests drowned in glitter and plastic diamonds by the green-eyed Polish man. "They fucking look the same!"

Gilbert was a very irritated man, capital letters on the irritated part. Who wouldn't be at this point in time? They had been entering various clothing shops for hours now! And the valley "girl" still hadn't bought a single thing from the mound of piled up clothes that he had put aside. Not to mention he was hungry and wasn't even receiving any form of attention from his Birdie, who took the questions of his so-called "best friend" (other than Gilbert) seriously.

"Are you like, blind?! Matt, which looks better?"

"I think pink is your colour, Feliks..."

Feliks eyed the hot pink vest closely and nodded. "You are like, so correct."

"You should have this one though," He continued and handed out the red vest to Matthew. "Red is your colour, don't you think?"

"U-um, I don't know..."

"Red is good but awesome me knows what's best!" The albino suddenly stated in a very loud voice. He grabbed the vest as if assessing it and while trying to look all professional and mature.

"Oh, really? What's Matthew's colour then, your albino highness?" Feliks raised an eyebrow as he retorted sarcastically.

"Birdie's colour is 'see-through'! Kesesesese!"

Matthew's face erupted into a fiery blush and he stammered so badly that the other two couldn't even translate what he was trying to say. He opted for hitting Gilbert on the shoulder instead but the blush never receded from his face.

"Whatever," Feliks said as he walked to the counter. He placed the pink vest on it, FINALLY buying something. "See-through isn't even a colour."

"Of course it is!"

"Oh, look at this pretty, see-through shirt! It has a cute chick on the side!"

"Really, where?!"

"Stop encouraging him, Feliks!"

Feliks giggled and put the shirt aside gently. "I know what to get you for Christmas now..."

"No fair!" Gilbert grabbed the shirt again, crumpling it under his touch. "I was supposed to give this to Mattie!"

"Geez, chill! Don't murder that poor piece of fabric that probably costs a lot more than what we brought right now combined."

The German huffed as he placed the item back on the rack. "Ok... But we'd better get some food now. I'm gonna die of starvation!"

"I'd like some ice cream," Matthew said quietly. "With maple and chocolate chips."

"That sounds totes good! I'm in the mood for some fat-free frozen yoghurt now!"

"Ice cream it is!"

After spending some more time debating on which ice cream place was the best, they settled at a nice place nestled between a nearby fountain and some large windows that gave a nice view of the town and its residents. They ordered some ice cream and sat down, enjoying their cold treat with much enthusiasm (especially Gilbert who was practically_ chewing_ at his ice cream.)

"Oh, Mein Gott! This is the best ice cream I've had ever!"

"The other day, I saw Matthew Williams- no, wait- I saw the whole Hetalia band!" Feliks bragged excitedly, completely ignoring Gilbert's over-exaggerated sounds of pleasure. "They're like, so hot. I've got all their albums and stuff!"

"That's great!" Matt smiled widely. "It's nice to know you're supporting them!"

"Why wouldn't I?! They're a bunch of boys from different countries! It's like you can choose what flavour you want for the day!"

"Well… that's one way of putting it…"

"Matthew Williams' voice gives me an eargasm! It's so smooth and relaxing yet rich at the same time. And their instrument playing? It's like, the total bomb!"

The Canadian smiled proudly and nodded at his friends praises.

"Pshh, they aren't even that good," The albino of the group remarked dryly, face suddenly serious. "I can play the guitar better with my eyes closed. Heck, with the guitar behind my back!"

"What's your problem?" The Polish teen eyed him coldly.

"My problem is that, they're a bunch of show-offs who use their physical appearance and not their talents to get onto the top! They have zero percent of it in their scrawny bodies! The only reason that they get accepted in the music scene is because their manager is such a whore and probably sleeps with everyone just to provide them with stuff necessary to produce an album. I bet they're a bunch of two-faced divas! " Gilbert looked away and continued softly. " Admiring them is gay..."

To his surprise, Feliks laughed genuinely and ate a spoonful of partially-melted yoghurt. "It fits me then! Since I'm not that straight myself... That's funny, isn't it Matt? Matt?"

The wavy-haired blond was staring at Gilbert in distaste. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists too hard and his eyebrows were furrowed in display of intense anger. Violet orbs were clouded with rage, making them appear darker in the fluorescent lights.

"Woah, someone just got hit by the pissy train! What's wrong, Birdie?"

"You think you can just talk to people like that?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't say anyth-"

"You think you can just assume things even when you don't know the person that well?"

"I have no idea what you're-"

"You don't know everything, Gilbert. Even when you think you do." Matthew stood up abruptly, his chair emitting a loud screeching noise. "Thanks for this afternoon. It was... fun."

"Wait, Matthew!" Gilbert grabbed Matthew's arm but the smaller blond gave him a piercing stare that forced him to let go. He watched as the other walked out of sight and sighed, sitting back down.

"Tsk, tsk. You just offended a fanboy's fandom. That's a major crime."

"Shut up. I'm not in the mood right now." The albino stared at his ice cream and decided all at once that it didn't seem that all appetizing anymore. He felt like a rock was wedged in his stomach, making him feel heavy and nauseous.

"I'm just trying to help." Feliks scribbled a bunch of numbers on a napkin. "Here's his number. Call him. And you'd better make it work or else you'll be up against me. And that won't be a fight you'd be willing to see..."

**AN: HEEEEEY! It's been a while but I've been really super busy with my schoolwork and stuff that I wasn't able to update fast enough. But I'm back now! And while I find the change in mood of the story very abrupt, I think it was necessary to build up the story line and keep it focused on the theme so we can move on to the fluffy PruCan stuff. (Sorry guys… T^T)**

**I wanted to thank everyone who followed me and reviewed my stories. You, guys don't know but it means so much to me! Rock on and stay awesome!**

**Also, I am planning to make a Hetalia fic with Ouran High School Host Club as its AU and I don't know who to put in the twins' place. America and Canada would be the best but since I am making this a Canada-centered fic (prepare for crack pairings!), I have no idea who to put! It would be a lot of help if you guys gave your opinions and suggestions.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alfred knew that Matt was home long before he even saw the singer.

The door was opened harshly and then closed with a loud bang. Shoes were thrown against the wall and the heavy sounds of somebody going up the stairs angrily was very hard not to miss considering the pleasant silence that was settled upon the dorm before the youngest stepped in.

"Matt? What's wrong? Did somebody insult the polar bears again?"

"Go away, Al." The angry teen replied before going into his room and closing it with so much strength that it rattled some of the decorative figurines (which totally belonged to Arthur, by the way) perched on the bookshelves.

"Bloody hell, what was that?" Arthur emerged from the bathroom by the end of the hallway. "Was that you, Alfred? I told you not to rollerblade in the living room."

"Uh, no, dude. Mattie's home… and he's mad as hell."

"Rough day at school, eh?"

"I don't know" Alfred stood up from his position on the couch and knocked on Matthew's door. "Mattie? Talk to us, please?"

"Open the door, lad."

"… It's nothing. I'm just tired. I'm sorry I bothered you guys." came the muffled response. Alfred and Arthur looked at each other before the American once again knocked on the door.

"I'm fine. I just need some rest, please."

"Let's leave him alone. "The Brit said while staring at the door. "He'll talk to us when he feels like it."

"O-kay… Can we check out that new comics store at the corner?! I'm dying to buy the new issues of my favourite ones! "

"Wouldn't it be more favourable to ask Kiku instead of me?"

"Riiiight! Right. Where is he?"

"Do you think I keep him under my shirt, you wanker? I don't know, go find him!"

The younger blond scampered away to find Kiku while Arthur eyed the door. He gave a soft sigh before walking away and leaving Matthew completely alone to wallow in his emotions.

-.x.-x.-

After a few hours of restless sleep, Matthew opened his eyes to find his phone vibrating loudly on the sheets. He was a bit hesitant to answer when he saw that it was an unregistered number but he did so anyway, thinking that it was Francis and one of his new phones again.

"Hello?" He held the phone an inch above his face, ready for the loud noises that usually accompanied the Frenchman's calls.

"Hallo, Birdie."

"Owww!" Matthew yelped as he dropped that phone on his own face in surprise.

"What happened?! Are you ok?!"

"I'm fine," The Canadian said in a flat voice, rubbing his nose lightly. "Why did you call Gilbert? Did Feliks give you my number?"

"That is very smart of you, Sherlock."

"Is that all you have to say? Because I'm very busy right now."

"No, wait! I called to say I'm sorry I hurt you... I didn't really mean to, honest... I-I don't want you to be mad at me. You're really important to me... I don't wanna lose you... and stuff." It was said quietly and somewhat awkwardly. Like the German wasn't used to apologizing.

"Oh, really?" The blond said somehow sarcastically, still a bit sore from the insults thrown at his face by the hater at the other end of the line.

"Yes, really. Please believe me."

Matthew thought for a while. Gilbert didn't know that he was Matthew Williams so he wasn't really insulting him at that time, wasn't he? He tried to put himself in Gilbert's shoes and suddenly felt like crawling under a rock to hide. He must've have looked demanding at that time. He must have looked like an obsessed fan that was ready to fight any person who gave just a slight bit of disapproval to his favourite band. But still… Gilbert insulted Matthew Williams, not him at that time but somehow still him… What? The Canadian rubbed his temples, feeling a small headache forming in the recesses of his skull.

"… Ok, Gilbert… Ok. I'm sorry I overreacted."

"No problem, Birdie. I'm used to that. I'm just happy that you're still putting up with my shit."

Their conversation fell into an awkward silence which neither knew how to break. Matthew pulled at his blankets anxiously as he listened to the silence the phone was presenting. He nearly jumped when the albino started to talk again.

"It's my bruder's birthday tomorrow and I want you to come."

"Eh? But isn't it his birthday? Why are you inviting me?"

"Weren't you listening? Because I want to."

"G-gil…"

"Look, I'd really appreciate it if you came. Just bring a gift in case he gets mad or something."

"What does he like?"

"Silk panties and all those kinky shit."

Matthew blushed hard and shifted uncomfortably. "Are you serious?"

Gilbert laughed. "Kesesese, I'm just messing with you. You're so fun to tease. I bet you're blushing right now."

"You hoser." Matthew mumbled but didn't deny anything.

"Wait, you're a Matthew Williams fan, right? So his name's Matthew and your name's Matthew… Should we call this… a 'Mattception'?"

"Oh my god, that is terrible! Shut up!"

"But you're laughing! So it must be reeeaaaaaally funny!"

"I'm laughing because it's really lame."

"Why can't you just admit I'm awesome so we can ride off into the sunset with our pet unicorn that has a pet koala?"

"Are you drunk?"

"Completely and totally drunk on love."

"Eww, Gil!"

"Matthew?" Arthur called out from behind the door. "Francis wants to see you."

"I've gotta go now. My… uh… cousin is calling me. See you tomorrow."

"_Bis bald, V__ö__gelchen_."

The Canadian put down his phone and rushed to open the door, this time with an idiotic smile plastered on his face. Arthur stared at him weirdly, wondering how the blond could've changed dramatically in not less than three hours.

He remembered reading somewhere that people tended to be more moody when they were in love.

-.x.-x.-

Francis' visit nearly turned Matthew's smile back into a frown again. He told the band that they were performing a quick concert to launch their new album. It would be a twelve-hour thing, from six to six, just enough time for them to practice on the venue, set up the stage, lights and instruments, and of course, for the entire concert itself.

That's how Matthew found himself on the back of the van on a very rainy morning, contemplating on breaking the windows and jumping out just to go to school and to Gilbert's party. The previous night's activities (practice, instructions, minor changes to the song, more practice…) had left his body feeling very exhausted. He just wanted to sleep in the library or something, and forget everything for a while.

"Matthew-san?" Kiku brushed back some of Matthew's hair and tapped him on the shoulder. "Coffee?"

"Th-thanks but I just finished a bit earlier."

"Are you unwell? I understand that the last-minute training was rigorous for your body. It was for me too. I have brought pain killers."

"Thank you again but I'm fine. I just want to sleep."

"C'mere Matt!" Alfred gestured to his lap from the front seat next to the driver. "You can sleep with me for a while."

Slowly, the smaller blond made his way to the front seat and sat on Alfred's lap. It was kind of a tradition that they did every time one of them wanted to take a rest: The one in the front seat would allow the said person to rest on his lap for the entire duration of the ride. They all forgot how that tradition got started since the van was big and cosy enough without having to settle on somebody else's lap anyway.

Matthew closed his eyes as Alfred pulled him closer. He could hear him say something but his mind was too foggy to process what had been said as he was slipping into beautiful dreamland. Strangely though, he did not have any dreams at all.

-.x.-x.-

Twelve hours and forty-five minutes later, the Canadian was hurrying to get out of the concert venue and into the streets. He rode a bus towards the address that Gilbert gave him earlier that morning, only having enough time to grab his sling bag and his precious black, wire-rimmed glasses which he hastily put into his face to avoid any unwanted attention.

The house itself was unmistakable: It was painted an electric blue with a black roof and some graffiti on the side, making it look like an abandoned building for gangsters. The neighbourhood itself looked nice with its wide lawns and pretty plants here and there but the albino's house stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise clean-cut looking place.

It wasn't like a normal high school party either, Matthew could tell just by looking outside: There was no heart-thumping bass, the street wasn't crowded with cars from students old enough to drive, no drunken people on the front porch and no couple making out on the grass. He could actually see people inside talking and laughing but not in the loud, boisterous way people often did when they were in these kinds of events. The scene was very mind-fucking for him. It was like the inside and the outside of the house were two different things and if Matthew didn't know better, he would say that Gilbert decorated the house.

"_Wie geht's_?"

The Canadian turned to look at the source of the voice. The guy he was just thinking about was sitting on the sidewalk, his skin was glowing under the moonlight, highlighting his brilliant red eyes and his mouth was curved up at the corners in an amused smile.

"_Es geht._" Matthew replied with a smirk, relishing the German boy's reaction to his words.

"Well, how about that? You actually understood me all this time! You never fail to keep surprising me more and more, Birdie…"

The blond laughed at the statement. _'If only you knew…'_

Gilbert eyed him with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't have to dress up for my brother's birthday. Everybody's wearing normal clothes."

Matthew looked at himself and realized that he was still wearing his concert clothes: Black skinny jeans and a black polo shirt rolled up to the elbows with a wine-red vest over it.

"Come to think of it, I have never seen you dressed like this. Do you want to impress my brother? 'Cause I'm warning you, he's taken already."

'Wh-what?! Non. I was just in a hurry from this other formal party my rich uncle threw…"

"I never knew you had a rich uncle."

"Well, you never asked."

"Gott, "Gilbert laughed while staring at Matthew up and down. "You're totally making me gay for you."

"I thought you were… uh, gay." Matthew said slowly as he thought about the times Gilbert made passes at him. He must've struck a nerve though, with how the albino flinched and pursed his lips tightly, making him look tense as hell.

"I'm not and don't ever say that out loud."

Matthew nodded, looking away, and Gilbert lit up one again like somebody just flipped a switch in him. The taller male dragged the Canadian inside the house, babbling excitedly.

"West! My friend's here!"

A large guy with a slicked-back light blond hair appeared to greet Matthew. He was carrying a beer with the other hand and some food on the other. The expression on the guy's face made the smaller blond feel uncomfortable as the tank of a man stared at him with piercing blue eyes.

"West, this is Matthew. Matthew, West. Now that you know each other let's have a group hug!" Gilbert attempted to hug his brother but 'West' dodged out of the way causing the albino to faceplant on the carpet.

"You should behave well, bruder. Considering that you're older."

"But you stole all my goody-two shoes genes!"

"That his highly unlikely," The large man looked at Matthew once again with a curious look in his eyes. "Have I met you somewhere?"

"E-eh?! I d-don't think so..."

"Really? I feel like I've seen you somewhere..." His gaze alternated from Gilbert to Matthew. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, West?"

"It's Ludwig by the way, not 'West.'"

"Ah!" The Canadian jolted up straight as if suddenly electrified. "I nearly forgot, Happy birthday!" Matthew shyly gave his gave to Ludwig who accepted it with an appreciative nod.

"Help yourself to the food and drinks. We are all conversing in the den, if you wanted to join us."

"Thank you."

Ludwig went back to where he came from, leaving Matthew and Gilbert alone. The latter had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Did you buy him panties?"

The blond blushed and hit him on the shoulder. "I didn't!"

"Aww, too bad."

"You're a bad brother."

"Nein, I am the most awesome bruder that has ever walked the face of the Earth."

"That's total bullshit."

"Aww, you're so cute when you swear!"

"Aww, I'm gonna hit you again if you don't shut up."

"Whoah, slow down there! Isn't it a bit early for BDSM?"

Matthew blushed lightly. "You're a pervert."

"Only for you. Do you wanna go join them in the den?'

"I don't even know why you invited me in the first place, I barely know anyone here."

"I'm pretty sure you know the blond kid making-out with Toris."

"Feliks is here?!"

"You bet your fabulous ass he is."

Matthew snorted at the words 'fabulous ass' and stared at Gilbert, thinking about his gay tendencies. Was he really straight or in denial?

"Don't look at me like that. Your ass is really fabulous. Let's go to the den."

"I never thought somebody would ever say that to me." The blond said, following Gilbert. "You really are special." He jokingly continued.

The den was crammed with people. Some were talking with each other on the couch while some were plopped in front of the TV, playing some sort of video game. A guy was playing the piano at the corner of the room and Matthew recognized the auburn-haired girl sitting beside him: the frying-pan girl.

"OMFG! Matt, you made it!" The Canadian saw a flash of blond hair and before he knew it, he was tackled into a bone-crushing hug. "Why didn't you go to school again today?"

"My uncle from France surprised us and took us somewhere fancy to celebrate his business' success." The lie poured out of his mouth effortlessly, almost scaring himself.

"Oh, that's cool... But I totally have to punish you for leaving me alone at lunch for the one hundred and seventieth time this school year. Toris had to do something for Mr. Van der Heide, the hot art teacher, so he wasn't there with me and I was so alone, I looked like a nerd."

Matthew was about to respond when he was interrupted by the light-brown haired teen on Ludwig's lap, who decided that it was the best time to announce the party's next event.

"Ve! It's time for truth or dare!"

"This is the best part of the night!" Gilbert said excitedly, tugging at the blonde's arm. "C'mon! Let's join them!"

The albino pulled Matt into the circle of people, making the Canadian miss the way Feliks stared at them both.

"Yep, I'm totally punishing you." An evil smile curled at his bestfriend's lips.

**AN: **_**LameLameLameLameLameLame**_

**I present you a long-ish chapter, yay! *turns back to dark corner* I just failed my statistics and chemistry tests... T^T Wish me luck for the next semester.**

**Illead corrected me a few chapter back about missing the apostrophe in "we're." Sorry about that and sorry that it's taking me long to edit the chapter. School's being sadistic and won't let me spend 30 minutes in front of a computer.**

**Anyway, suggestion for Feliks' punishment is highly appreciated and thanks for the people who reviewed and followed the story (Is it just me or does the chapter feel like it has millions of linebreaks?). I shall give you guys some virtual unicorn babies from Gilbert's unicorn! Ahahahaha... ha... ha... *faints from lack of sleep***


	6. Chapter 6

Half an hour later, Matthew was smashed and giggling loudly, courtesy of the Korean boy who dared him to drink as much beer as he could within five minutes, plus he thought it was pretty good beer and drank a few glasses more to his own will. Gilbert laughed at his very red face which made him laugh again in return at the scribbles of different-coloured markers that adorned the albino's face and neck.

"W-wait! Weren't you outside your house earlier when I came? Were you waiting for me?"

"Ja, I was." Gilbert shrugged stroking Matthew's hair slowly.

Matthew leaned closer to him subconsciously. "Mhmn, that's sweet."

"I just wanted to know if you would really arrive." The hand on the smaller boy's hair travelled down to cup his cheek. Violet eyes flickered down to pale lips and dragged up to lock their gazes. Both held their breath as the air filled with something electric. The new feeling sent tingles up Matthew's spine that made him shudder and move closer and closer to the German boy, wanting nothing more than to feel those soft looking lips on his own and taste them with his tongue.

Just as Matthew could feel Gilbert's breath on his own lips, the taller teen spoke up.

"You're vibrating."

_You're vibrating._

_Vibrating..._

_Vibrating? _

"Huh?" He pulled away in confusion.

"I meant there's something vibrating in your pocket. I think it's your phone."

"O-oh." Matthew blushed hard and took out his phone, looking at the caller ID. He couldn't believe that he was about to kiss Gilbert! He must've have been more drunk than he thought. What he did was out of character and it didn't help the redness in his cheeks when the albino rejected him (At least he thought he was rejected. Does interrupting the moment count as rejection?). He will never be able to look at Gilbert in the eyes ever again. "Hello, Alfred?"

"Mattie! Where are you?! Were all worried sick when you just disappeared after the concert! Did you forget that we had fan signing afterwards?! The fans were disappointed when you didn't show up!"

"I'm sorry, Al. I just went somewhere to cool off."

Gilbert whipped his head at him and stared as if he had said something crazy.

"Are you drunk again, Matt? I thought that was the point of you going to school: So you wouldn't go out late at night for some drug-slash-alcohol fest and come back to the dorm at three am and spend all day in the bathroom."

"No, I would never again. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Geez, I thought you got kidnapped by rabid fans again. I love you so much; you'll be the death of me someday."

"Love you too, Alfie."

Alfred chuckled at the other end of the line. "Come home tonight, ok? Francis made something for us and I know how much you like French food."

"Better than Arthur's." They both laughed, thinking about the Brit's burnt food. "And I'll come home. Bye."

"Bye."

Matthew put his phone back in his pocket and stared at the carpet.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Gilbert spoke up sombrely, staring at him.

"What?! No, that was my dorm mate!"

"I doubt that dorm mates tell each other 'I love you'"

"He's my friend." Matthew said, suddenly feeling defensive. The albino's tone and body language made him feel as if he did something wrong. He lowered his head more, shying away from the intense red stare.

"Your friends have some pretty weird names." Gilbert murmured and Matthew couldn't comprehend what he was implying so he just shook his head and made some noise that hopefully sounded like he was disagreeing.

"I think they have neat names."

"Do I have a neat name?"

"Of course, Gil. You have the most awesome name."

Gilbert grinned and ruffled Matthew's hair, although the smile didn't seem to reach his eyes. "I'm gonna go take a piss, ok? The game's done anyway so we can disperse. I'll be back. Don't move."

Matthew nodded as Gilbert stood up and went to the direction of what he guessed was the bathroom. Feliks sat next to the Canadian and offered him another drink which he gladly accepted.

"You're so drunk, I bet when you stand up I could tip you over with my pinky finger."

"Mhm-hmm."

"How are you like, going to get home?"

"I don't have a clue... I can't call my relatives or they'll ground me. God, I shouldn't have drunk so much." The violet-eyed man gave Feliks back the glass of beer and leaned back on the carpet.

"You totally have to stay here till morning comes then."

"I don't want to impose on them." Matthew blew on some strands of hair that fell on his face. "And it's a school day."

"You fucked yourself real hard this time... And speaking of fuck, Gilbert certainly wants to do you." The Polish teen elbowed him while waggling his eyebrows, making him blush.

"He's straight, Feliks. And earlier I nearly k-kissed him but he stopped me from doing so."

"That doesn't mean that he doesn't want to be kissed. Straight sometimes means that it has the capability to be bent."

"Alright. Who are you and what have you done with my bestfriend?"

"Just doing my job, hun. I don't like seeing my bestfriend in this situation."

"Hey, how did you jump to the conclusion that I liked him anyway?"

"My God, you get straight B's but how come you're still this stupid?"

"That's really offensive."

"Ok, I'm sorry I called you stupid but I like, just want to give you an advice," The green-eyed teen leaned close. "Go for his sexy German ass."

"Feliks!" Matthew hit Feliks' shoulder. The straight-haired man laughed.

"I have to go back to Toris now. You know how much needy my baby can be..."

"I seriously did not need to hear that."

Feliks snickered and went on his way, drinking beer and completely walking past his boyfriend.

_-.x.-x.-_

"Matt's upset."

"What?" Gilbert jerked his head up and looked at the skirt-wearing guy leaning on the door frame of the bathroom.

"I said Matthew's upset."

"Why would he be?"

"He doesn't have anyone to fetch him and it's getting late. He's totally deprived of attention at home, did you know?" The blond strutted in the room and washed his hands slowly.

"Can't say I did. Why are you talking to my awesome self all so sudden?"

"Nothing. "

Gilbert raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"His dad's a lawyer and his mom's an actress, they both don't give him the time of the day. He's an only child too. Poor Matt…"

"He lives in a dorm with his friends. He has a cousin that visits him frequently. I thought you of all people would know that."

"I knew that! But you don't know how much it hurts to see him so broken inside..." Feliks stared at Gilbert sadly. "Just looking him when he thinks nobody's watching makes your heart feel broken too. I tried talking to him about it but he shuts up like a clam."

Gilbert pursed his lips as he thought of the sweet Canadian boy just two rooms away. He just wanted to hold him close, make him feel safe and loved. Hearing this... hearing how much he's been in pain fuelled the desire much more, making him wonder when and how he'd evolved such strong feelings.

"W-well, since I'm awesome, I'll talk to him and shit."

"Thanks. Huh, you're not as bad as I thought."

"Of course! Kesesese!"

"You're still a conceited bastard though."

"When have I not been?"

"When you're with Matt."

The statement mad the German teen freeze up for half a second before he grinned a cat-like smile. "I don't need to be 'cause he already knows how amazingly awesome I am!"

"Conceited bastard." Feliks sang under his breath.

Gilbert laughed and left the Polish teen in the bathroom, humming tune as he went looking for Matthew. Feliks smiled widely.

"Oh, Feliks, you're so fabulous." He said to himself.

'_The seed has been planted…'_

-.x.-x.-

Matthew was half asleep when Gilbert sat next to him again.

"Mattie?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I your one of your bestfriends now?"

"Sure, Gil."

"That's awesome."

"Mhm sleepy, Gil."

"The party isn't even done yet," Gilbert laughed and looked closer at Matthew. "You have dark circles under your eyes. What have you been doing?"

"Homework?"

"Homework sucks. You should hang-out with me more!"

"Maybe later when I'm done with the book report." Matthew teased, smiling slightly. When Gilbert smiled back, Matthew blushed and looked away quickly. "C-can I crash here tonight?"

"Of course, Birdie." The albino stared at Matthew long and hard.

"What?"

"You can tell me anything, you know. You don't have to hide anything when you're with me."

The Canadian's heart hammered in his chest at the words. _Did Gilbert know about his secret? Did he put the pieces together and guess it himself? Was he that obvious?_ Matthew started breathing irregularly, his chest clenching at the thoughts that ran into his alcohol-dazed mind and sweat forming at his palms. And maybe, just maybe, he was having a slight panic attack.

"Wh-who told you?! How did you know?!"

"Don't be mad, Ok? Feliks told me."

"Feliks… told… you…?" The horrified look on the blond's face was replaced with confusion and puzzlement. "What are we talking about exactly?"

"Your family problem."

"My family problem?"

"Yeah, with your parents not giving you attention and stuff."

"Oh." _Right, my made-up family and its problems. _"I'm fine, absolutely fine."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Gilbert roared, and Matthew jumped from the sudden change in tone. "Feliks told me that you're depressed about it! Is that why you're so quiet all the time?!"

"I really don't mind being ignored," Matthew wanted to facepalm himself and THEN hit Feliks. What was his bestfriend thinking?!

"You don't have to say that! I won't ignore you ever! I'll shower you with lots of my awesome attention!"

"Th-that's not really necessary…"

"I want you to be happy!"

"I'm happy right now, Gil."

"Nein, Vögelchen! Real happiness! Genuine smiles! I want to see that!" Gilbert grasped Matthew shoulder, making the other squeak as the forced knocked him backward easily- balance completely affected by his drunkenness- with Gilbert falling on top of him.

Gilbert laughed briefly but then stared at Matthew softly, a gentle smile gracing his lips. Matthew found that he could not stare away from those enchanting red eyes that seemed to haunt him every time he closed his own purple ones. His own heartbeat reverberated in his ears, along with Feliks' words of advice. It was so loud that he couldn't even hear himself thinking, and for the second time that night, he found himself leaning towards those tantalizing pale lips, eyes fluttering shut. Just before their lips could touch, Matthew hesitated and opened his eyes halfway. They widened almost comically though, when he felt Gilbert close the distance between them and brush his lips against Matthew's chastely.

To Matthew, it felt like the most amazing thing ever. Fireworks exploded in his eyelids as he pressed harder on Gilbert's lips and slipped his arms around the taller male's neck. Gilbert's hands gripped his hip and his hair, growling aggressively. Their lips moved against each other in perfect harmony, fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces, finally complete.

When they both parted for much needed air, their cheeks were coloured bright red and their eyes were hazy and unfocused. Gilbert sat up, pulling Matthew with him.

"I got carried away." The albino mumbled. "Sorry."

Nothing much was said between them as the party finally came to an end. Even as they cleaned up the place, no words were exchanged and the air hung heavy with awkwardness. After they had said 'goodnight' to each other, Matthew had lain on the couch with a blanket wrapped snugly around him, wondering if he should feel happy, embarrassed or just plain sad that Gilbert hadn't invited in his room nor said anything about the kiss.

He wasn't sure if he was still drunk or just half-asleep when he heard another whispered apology echoing in the dark room.

**AN: Hallo, I finally woke up long enough to make the next chapter! Soooo, a lot of people have been informing me about my spelling mistakes and such, so as of next chapter I shall get a beta to lessen the crapiness of the story. I'm sorry that I won't be able to correct the mistakes either since I only have limited internet time and I use it for research. (Fun fact: I write the next chapter as soon as I post the latest ones and the chapter relies on the reviews. Is this a trap? Yes, yes it is. /shot)**

**Updates may be a bit slow since school is being a bitch again and also I'm trying to learn the dance steps of 'N.O' by B.T.S. (Did I mention that I'm a Kpop fan?) So more tired muscles and tired brain. T^T**

**Anyway, reviews are highly appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day, Matthew woke up at six to a still sleeping house. His internal body clock was telling him to stand the fuck up and eat but his mind told him otherwise, reasoning that it wasn't his house so he shouldn't touch things that weren't his and that he couldn't go home to eat yet because he had to be polite and say goodbye to the hosts first before leaving.

So, he opted for sitting up and playing around with his phone idly. When that didn't work to help his growing urge to run, jog, dance or do whatever he did at six in the morning, he plucked his iPod from his pocket and listened to music.

Closing his eyes, he let the melody take him to the place his band mates liked call "Matthew's Music Land" where he would get himself lost in emotions and bring it to life with his voice. And he did. A few minutes after, Matthew found himself singing out loud (But not so loud as to wake up the whole house) to the song he was listening to.

"_I'm a silhouette asking every now and then,_

_Is it over yet? Will I ever feel again?_

_I'm a silhouette, chasing rainbows on my own,_

_But the more I try to move on, the more I feel alone,_

_So I watch the summer stars to lead me home..."_

When the song ended, Matthew sighed and wiped his slightly damp eyes. That just had him weeping a bit every time. He lay back down on the couch, feeling oddly peaceful and letting sleep overtake him, only to scream when he saw a figure crouching on the stairs, staring at him eerily. On impulse, he hurled a ceramic vase at it and the shadowy figure ducked with a slight yelp.

"_Mein Gott_, that vase was about 500 bucks. _Mutti_ is gonna kill us!"

"Jesus Christ, Gilbert!" Matthew stood up, fuming. "What the fuck were you doing over there!? I thought you were a ghost!"

"Geez, you don't have to unleash your Canadian fury on me."

Matthew noticed that Gilbert's nose was red as if he was cold but he couldn't be. It was quite warm in the house. Unless... "Were you crying?"

"No!"

"Gil, what's wrong?"

"I said nothing okay?!"

"Did you have a fight with Ludwig?"

"Nein!"

"Are you hurt?! Did I hit you with the vase?! Oh God, let me see!" Matthew ran to Gilbert and inspected his head, face and hands.

Gilbert swatted the blonde's hands away. "What do you think I am? A child? I won't cry just because I got hit by a puny vase!"

"What is it then?" Matthew stared at the albino who fidgeted nervously.

"It's just the song... It was really sad, okay?! Now piss off!"

Matthew smiled softly. "That's really funny, Gil."

"Are you still sad about your family?"

"Hmm, not really. I've got you now, don't I?"

"Th-That's right. I'm here for you so you don't have to be hurt anymore!"

"Oui," The smaller male nodded. "I'm sorry about the song. I just tend to do that a lot."

"You mean cry?!" Gilbert said, alarmed, as he processed the new information given to him.

Matthew laughed. "No! Getting overwhelmed by emotions when I sing even when I don't want to."

"Oh. You really moved me to tears. That thought is scary. You're almost like..." The German trailed off.

"Like?"

"We're still friends right?"

The Canadian was taken aback with the question. "O-of course. Why?"

"The thing last night doesn't change a thing, right?" Gilbert stared at him so pleadingly that Matthew found himself nodding, mouth dry and eyes wet.

"O-of course it doesn't! Why do you think so?!" Matthew lied through his teeth.

"It's just that... I promised someone else my heart. And I'm pretty loyal. Hehe." Gilbert blushed a bit as he scratched his head sheepishly.

"G-good for him, eh?" He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes, threatening to spill over, and he told himself that he just couldn't afford to break down right now. Whatever he expected, it certainly wasn't this. Maybe, he did like Gilbert. Maybe, he did want to be more than friends. He hadn't realized that he was asking too much until this road roller hit him in the heart, right in the feels.

"Yeah. He doesn't know though but I'm thinking of telling him soon. Cool, huh?"

Matthew looked away and nodded, clenching his fists.

"Well that's resolved. Wanna go to the mall or to my house every after school so you don't get stuck with your sucky family? I mean, with your family that sure doesn't act like it."

The blond looked at Gilbert with a forced smile and stood up. "Sure, Gil but I have to go now."

"It's too early, Birdie! We didn't even have breakfast yet..." Gilbert stood up too.

"It's fine. It's fine... My roommate is looking for me anyway and I don't want him to file a report to the police about me being missing."

"Is that so?" The albino smiled. "Okay, then. Thank you for coming. I sure had fun!"

"Me too," Matthew said, his voice cracking. He put on his shoes and left before Gilbert could say another word.

Gilbert leaned on the wall slowly with a sigh, glancing at his friend through the window before staring at his bedroom door sadly. "The things I do for you, Matthew Williams..."

-.x.-x.-

Alfred hugged Matthew as soon as he stepped in the dorm.

"Al..." The singer whispered and hugged back, trembling.

"I got your distress signal. Are you okay?" Alfred tucked Matthew's curls behind his ear.

"Can I stay with you for a while?"

"Sure, Mattie. I can make some soup real quick and then we'll watch some corny sitcoms. Those things are hilarious!"

"Thanks for being my hero, Al."

The American's chest puffed out proudly at the words. "You're always welcome."

Matthew smiled lightly and climbed up the stairs to Alfred's room. He lay down on the bed, listening to his heartbeat, staring at the window, imagining what it was like to fly- anything to get horrid thoughts out of his mind. He looked at a square-shaped pillow with Alfred's face printed on it and he couldn't help but giggle. Seriously, which artist bought merchandise of himself except for Alfred? His eyes skimmed past the pillow and to Alfred's desk where he had a picture of the band on their first concert, looking happy and excited at the same time, holding hands.

"I've been distracted," Matthew said in a dazed voice, as something dawned to him. "I've been distracted by school and Gilbert and _feelings _that I lost sight of what was really important!"

He grabbed the picture frame off the desk and stared at it. "Hetalia, my band... On that day... First concert... We made a pact to be the best in the world..." Matthew smiled as he reminisced. "I should work hard to achieve that. I should help them pull the burden and not slack off. From now on, band before myself..."

The door opened and Alfred walked in carrying a bowl of soup. "Dude, you ok? Don't talk to yourself when you have me to talk to."

"Oh, hi. I just had a couple of things to straighten out."

"Really?" Alfred raised an eyebrow." Do tell."

"I think we should write a song! Just like old times!"

"Really, Mattie? You said you didn't have time to go through the 'strenuous process of music making' anymore."

"Well, I change my mind, I wanna do it."

"M'kay." Alfred sat down on the bed near Matthew and gave him the soup. Matthew happily ate, leaning on Alfred.

"What events do we have this month?"

"Well... Francis is thinking about holding a concert in your school."

"Huh? Why my school?"

"They said it was a fundraising activity or something."

"And why is Francis thinking about it? We usually don't do this kind of stuff, especially when it's in front of a small audience..."

"Your principal is apparently very close to him."

"Mr. Carriedo?" Matthew thought about the bright, sunshine-y Spanish man and wondered how he was possibly linked to their manager. "Hm."

"Anyway, why did you give me a distress signal?"

Matthew frowned as he put down the bowl of soup to nuzzle against the guitarist's shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Okie." Alfred blushed a bit as he shyly held one of the smaller blonde's hands.

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's watch those sitcoms."

Alfred turned on the T.V. and flipped to his favourite channel. "What kind of song should we make?"

"Can you help make a sad kind of song?"

"Nah, you know I suck at expressing bad emotions... How about some happy songs?"

"That's nice, but we sing a lot of happy songs already."

"Let's make Francis decide."

"But Francis will make us do a pervy song!"

"Exactly."

Alfred laughed and stared at Matthew mischeviously.

-.x.-x.-

A week later...

"Fan mail."

Alfred looked up from the chords he was jotting down on his notebook to the bushy-eyebrowed man holding a fat box stuffed to the brim with presents and letters. The said man dropped the box on the floor haphazardly, making the contents clatter in protest.

"Yay! Gifts for me?! Where are the ones for me?!" The American leaped from his chair to plop down next to the box and rummage for parcels that had his name on it... and throwing the ones that didn't. Arthur clucked his tongue in annoyance and ran around to pick them up.

"Alfred, be careful," Matthew said without looking up from the lyrics that Francis had asked him to translate to French. He was blushing at the rather obvious implications of the song which their manager had heavily edited. The Frenchman told him that translating the song to the "language of love" would make it sound so much sexier and would make Matthew less shy about singing it in public. The blond Canadian didn't agree to that though. Sure, the fans may not know what he was talking about but he would and that made a pretty big difference to him. "Last time you got a dead rat."

"I totally blame your fans for that." Alfred stated with a shrug.

"My fans are as sweet as maple syrup!"

"Yeah, and as passive-aggressive as Canadians!"

"I'm not even going to respond to that."

"Hey, look! To Alfred, the one that stands between me and my Matthew." Alfred pulled a brown box from the pile and opened it with a smug smile, happy to make a point. "Aww, how sweet. It's a... brutalized picture of me. And a voodoo doll! Ughh, piercings don't look good on my doll body."

"Fine," Matthew blushed, finally looking up. "They are a little bit creepy."

"Oh."Arthur glanced at Matthew from his pile of presents. "Here's one for you, lad. I put it in my pile accidentally."

"Gimme that!" Alfred swiped the card out of the Brit's hand. "Whoah. It's a polar bear! It's like one of those 'moving-when-you-tilt-it' cards. So cool! The bear's drinking... now it's not... drinking... not..." The American laughed in glee.

Matthew grabbed the card from Alfred and stared at it with a smile. It had cute maple leaves at the border and the polar bear on it was pretty cute too. He sniffed the card lightly. "It smells like... maple syrup!"

"How come you get cool gifts while we get these?" Alfred held up his picture and the voodoo doll with a huff.

"You get the most hate mail, Alfred." Arthur said.

"By the way, where's Kiku?"

"Didn't he tell you that he was off to shoot some sushi bar advertisement today?"

"He didn't! We were supposed to go to the bookshop we always go to today!"

"You can't blame Kiku. He has the second biggest fan base among the four of us. Next to Matthew, of course..."

"How about me, Artie? Where do I rank?"

"My name is Arthur and haven't you guessed yet? It's pretty obvious."

"I'm tie with you on third place?"

"You're on fourth, you twit!"

Matthew left the two to argue as he leaned back on his chair and opened the card.

"_Dear Matthew Williams,_

_This is my first time sending a fan mail to you. You don't know how excited and giddy I am about this. I mean, finally sending a mail to my idol? Isn't that just amazing?! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how much of an inspiration you are to me and that I wouldn't be the person that I am now without you. You changed my life a lot."_

The Canadian smiled as a warm feeling settled on his chest. He just loved hearing about how their band changed a lot of people's lives and how it made them laugh and be happy. It kinda made him feel happy too.

"_I'm a bit shy so I'll keep this short: I think you are beautiful. The first time I saw you singing, I almost had a heart attack from all the cuteness and awesomeness you presented. I think my brain short-circuited itself! I know you probably won't read this and throw it to the paper shredder or something but Gott, I just can't stop thinking about you. Really, it's like I'm in love. I can't explain it. _

_Thank you... for being the lighthouse to my storm._

_XOXO,_

_Illuminatedshadow"_

Matthew was blushing hard after finished reading the letter. It was just full of confidence but also full of innocence and sincerity at the same time. It wasn't like any letter that praised his abilities or his albums or concerts. It was a confession. He couldn't even believe that the writer said that he was shy! And he couldn't deny that he was slightly flattered by the words that he had just read.

He flipped the letter over and was surprised to see an email address scrawled messily at the bottom of it. A dangerous idea formed in his mind, making his stomach do flip-flops and then tie itself into a knot. Francis would be so mad if he knew... But he would just do it this one time so it would be OK, right?

_Right_, he nodded.

"Al, Let's take a break. I just need to do something real quick."

**AN: The song I used in this chapter is "Silhouette" by Owl City (Have you guessed where this story is heading yet?) I'm sorry I wasn't able to post for a while. My USB got broken and I had to type everything all over again. The bottom half of the chapter wasn't beta'd and I was in a rush to post this because I might not be able to see you guys again for a while. I think I might be going on a long break again on account of the super hurricane that's about to hit us soon. Pray for us please.**

**Reviews keep me happy and alive. ^^ **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I want a Growlithe."

Arthur looked at Alfred with an annoyed expression on his face and gritted his teeth. "Go to a grass patch or something and catch one."

"No, I want a real Growlithe." The younger blond insisted.

"And I want a real Porsche but we both can't have everything we want." Arthur replied sharply.

Both men were currently seated on the couch on a cold night, eating their respective dinner. Arthur was watching the news and eating a ham and cheese sandwich while Alfred was playing PokeMon on his phone with a bag of chips by his side. The dorm was dark and silent except for the light emanating from the television and the bickering of the two.

"How many more are you going to eat?!" The Brit said in disbelief as he watched Alfred grab a fistful of chips and shove it into his mouth forcefully.

"A lot more."

"Why are we even stuck together right now?"

"Because we're both lazy."

"No, really. Did I do something wrong to that frog that he left me to babysit you?"

"How do you know that I'm not the one babysitting you?"

"Ha. Don't make me laugh."

"I'm not."

"I should've accepted that men's cologne commercial just so I don't get stuck in this miserable place with you."

"And I should've accepted that McDonalds commercial but we both can't have everything we want."

Arthur grunted in slight irritation at Alfred's attempt to copy his accent. "We should feel happy for them at least."

"Yeah, Kiku is probably going to go home with a bunch of coupons for free meals and I'm going to see my Matthew's face on TV more often."

"Whatever you say."

There was a moment of silence as both concentrated on their tasks of watching the economic news and battling with a gym leader.

"Iggy?"

"...What now, Alfred?"

"I still want a Growlithe."

-.x.-.x.-

_From: IlluminatedShadow_

_What do you mean you haven't watched 'The Lone Ranger'?! It's the best movie ever!_

_23:47_

_To: IlluminatedShadow_

_Are you asking me to go out and watch it with you?_

_23:49_

_From: IlluminatedShadow_

_You know that I might faint if I see you up close, right?_

_23:50_

_To: IlluminatedShadow_

_I'd like to see your reaction when I meet you. It must be hilarious._

_23:55_

_From: IlluminatedShadow_

_I still can't believe that Matthew Williams is texting me. You must be a poser._

_23:59_

_To: IlluminatedShadow_

_Ouch. Where's the trust?_

_00:10_

_From: IlluminatedShadow_

_It's always there._

_00:11_

"Williams! Break time is over."

Matthew looked up from his phone to the director with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Coming, sir!"

The Canadian trotted to the set, putting his phone in his pocket and looking around for his stalker-slash-friend. He knew that he told himself that he would contact IlluminatedShadow only that one time but once the man had replied to him, he could not help but reply back. There was something oddly comforting about his words that made Matthew trust him and not to mention he was good with flattering the singer and spoiling him with sweet words that never failed to make the blond blush.

A flash of movement from a second-story balcony caught his eye and he saw a tall man staring at him. The man had his black hoodie up, complete with darker than night shades and a face-mask that had a red 'x' at the front. Matthew smiled at him discreetly before standing on the spot on the sidewalk where he would supposedly dump his 'girlfriend.'

"Okay, Williams. You got this." The director said from behind the cameras and the small TV screens. "We're filming in three, two, one, action!"

Matthew composed himself before looking in the distance sadly and putting on a slightly pained face. Gripping the bouquet of roses tightly, he leaned against the steel fence of an office building and sighed deeply.

"How many more times must I do this, Anya?" He whispered to no one in a broken voice as he slumped down in a crouching position, burying his face in his arms.

The director cued in the props people and the drizzle of rain started slowly. Matthew looked up and blinked slowly, feeling raindrops on his lashes, before closing his eyes once again and letting small tears out, blending with the water pouring down his face.

"Dan."

Matthew's head whipped to the side, towards a lean girl with long silver hair wearing a dark purple raincoat. There were also tears in her lilac-coloured eyes as she pulled Matthew upwards.

"I-I'm so sorry, Dan!" She hugged Matthew tightly but Matthew just went stiff as a board.

"I was hoping it was all a lie..." The blond murmured. "I was hoping you'd tell me that whatever in between you and Benjamin was a joke... All just a trick on me...But it never came, Anya..."

"I WAITED AND IT NEVER CAME!" Matthew screamed as he wrenched himself from the girl and threw the flowers in the puddle.

Anya's eyes were wide in shock. "How long have you-"

"I've known for three years. I've been patient with you. But I see now... that this is leading us nowhere..."

"Dan, please don't-"

"Can't you see that it's hurting me?! Can't you see the pain that you have caused?! It's consuming me! Eating me whole! Yet you beg for me to wait and keep holding on!"

"I-it's just that Benjamin makes me feel at ease and calms me. You know about my anger... but Dan, I need you..."

"... Need me?" Matthew's voice quieted down into a whisper and once more, the tears were rolling down his cheeks in fast torrents. "I once needed you too."

The Canadian kissed the silverette's lips lightly, slipping his promise ring into her hands. "But now I know that needing isn't enough."

Anya looked up at him. "But I gave you so much..."

"And I gave you my all but I'm sorry, this is good-bye."

"Dan..."

"I'll still remember you... when the moonlight shines over the harbour..." Matthew smiled gently before quickly turning his back and walking away, not even bothering anymore to hold back his tears anymore.

-.x.-.x.-

"That was great! Absolutely fantastic!" The director clapped his hand on Matthew's shoulder as the singer was warming himself, making him stagger forward slightly. "The smile at the end was effortlessly heart-breaking! Although, I don't remember telling you to do that... Actually, there are a lot of parts that I don't remember telling you to do."

"Ah, those just came to me sir..."

"That's my boy! Always making magic! I will be sure to recommend you to the other producers!"

The director skipped away happily and Matthew smiled as he sat down on a foldable chair facing the bushes. He plugged in his earphones to his Ipod and nodded along with the fast beat of the currently playing song. When he felt, more than saw, the presence behind him, he grinned widely.

"Finally had the courage to walk up to me, eh?"

Matthew stood up and turned around to face the tall man. "What did you think about my acting, _Shad_?"

IlluminatedShadow pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose nervously and he gave a shy smile which mismatched his slightly pointed canines. "It was stupendous, Matthew. I'm surprised you recognized me."

"Oh please, you stick out too much from the crowd. It would have been harder to notice you without the get-up."

"But I like the way I look. I read in the internet somewhere that mystery makes a man more attractive."

"Then I must be in looooove with you!" Matthew noticed the way Shad blushed from between his face-mask and shades. "Dork."

"Hey, I am very proud of myself, OK? Nothing can bring my spirit down!"

The Canadian smiled again as he pulled out his earphones. "You'll watch my drama, right? It's airing four days from now."

"No."

Matthew was taken aback by the firm tone in the response. "Why not?"

"I might throw out my TV."

"Eh?"

"I am very jealous of Anya..."

There he was again, making blunt comments that sent Matthew's heart fluttering in his chest and the blood rushing up to his cheeks, warming it. "J-jealous, my ass."

"It's true!"

"I'm still wondering how you got past my guards." Matthew said quickly, avoiding the topic of Shad's confession to him.

"How do you think?"

The smaller teen looked around as he thought. "Hmm... You climbed on the second floor of that building..." Matthew pointed at the building next to where he was standing. "And dropped down next onto those bushes by the door, cushioning your fall. Then you approached me."

"How the heck did you know that?"

"The branches of the bush are broken..."

"You didn't have to ask me then."

"Well, I figured it out now."

Shad sat down on the foldable table next to Matthew's foldable chair and stared at him.

"What?" The Canadian said, unnerved. It was kind of weird when somebody was staring at you with shades on.

"Can I hug you?"

Matthew burst into laughter. "That's a very 'fan-ly' thing to say."

"I'm serious here!"

Matthew grinned and pulled Shad into a tight hug, ignoring the tugging feeling at his gut. He giggled when he felt the taller man let out a shuddering breath against his neck.

"I'm going to faint..."

"Stop overreacting."

"I'm serious here." Shad said it so breathily that Matthew let go and allowed the man some space to breathe. "Wow... I got a hug from Matthew Williams!"

"What colour are your eyes?" Matthew asked blurted out after staring at the black-tinted shades on the man's face.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Red."

"Then its red."

A memory of Gilbert's brilliant red eyes filled Matthew's mind and he suddenly found himself missing his best friend. When had he last seen him anyway? Two weeks ago? Man, that was a long time ago... But he promised... And Gilbert, well, he assumed that Gilbert was busy judging from what he said in their last encounter. He wondered briefly how the albino's crush would react to Gilbert's confession. He wondered briefly, because he didn't want to spend too much time dwelling on it.

_Band before myself..._

"Seriously, though, what is it?"

"Air of mystery, remember? Makes you love me more."

"Yeah, and I love you so much." Matthew said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. He smiled though, when he saw Shad fidgeting in suppressed happiness.

"If you love me that much, eat with me."

"Eat with you?"

"Yes, Eat with me."

"What are we going to eat?"

"... Noodles."

Matthew raised his eyebrow and turned his head up in display of mock snobbery. "I'm an actor and you ask me out to eat _noodles_?"

"Cut it out, Matthew." Shad said, whining. "Don't make me feel bad."

The Canadian smiled and patted the black-hoodied teen's head. "I'm just kidding, Shad. You're adorable... but I'm in the middle of filming."

"Live a little! Put some awesome in your life!"

"I'm pretty awesome."

"Yeah, but not awesome enough..."

"Hey! Are you my fan or not?"

"I'm your fan, Matthew. That's why I'm doing this for your own good." Shad scooped Matthew up in his arms and ran through the hedge in front of the foldable chair. The blond yelped as the branches scraped lightly at his face and arms but silenced when Shad pulled him closer, protecting him from the sharp ones.

"Well... I do need a dose of badass-ness every once in a while."

Shad laughed and it sent warm feeling coursing through Matthew's veins. "That's the spirit!"

**AN: Hello. It's been a long time, hasn't it? This is the unbeta'd version of chapter 8 since I was itching to post it already. I'll revise it later when I find the time to come back because classes are coming. T.T**

**I am also starting something called "Prucan Playlist." It's basically a song-fic compilation of PruCan. (I'm serious this time!) I take requests so please submit some songs that you would like to see in this fic.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing. Much love! ^^**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Matthew looked around carefully, trying to spot any people who might've recognized him. When he saw that everybody was minding their own business, he turned back to his noodles and ate.

"I'm impressed," He said between slurps. "This is a very high-class _convenience store."_

The person beside him grinned shyly and twirled his chopsticks in a manner that clearly said he was showing off. "Of course, Matthew. I wouldn't take you to a shabby place for our first date."

The Canadian coughed as he choked on his food and Shad laughed, hitting Mathew's back lightly.

"Date?! Whoa there! I might've agreed to go with you but this isn't a date."

"I was kidding." The taller man took a large swig at his canned coke. "But it's not like I wouldn't want to go on a date with you. I do. But I'm probably not your type."

Matthew scoffed lightly. _Like he knew what Matthew's type was…_

"Oh yeah, I like blond, muscular, tanned men with a jerky attitude the best." The singer said sarcastically.

"Like Alfred?" Shad poked Matthew on the ribs playfully. "I knew it."

"God, no!" The Canadian laughed and shoved his companion gently.

Shad snickered too and pressed a pale hand on Matthew's cheek, trying to return the gesture. Matthew blushed lightly and flicked the teen on the forehead.

"Oww!" Shad yelped and clutched his forehead where a red spot was blooming. "So unawesome!"

By now, their bickering was attracting passersby and the Canadian teen suddenly felt himself self-conscious and naked. He ducked his head, with his blond tresses falling on his face to hide himself. Shad quickly understood and pulled Matthew up with his arm around the smaller guy's shoulder to shield him away from the prying eyes of the strangers.

"Shad, where are we-?"

"Where's the trust, Matthew?"

To that, Matthew sighed and replied: "It's always there."

He let himself be led outside the convenience store and through the busy shopping district without any complaints. When Shad stopped in front of a store, Matthew raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. His 'captor' stared at the door of the shop as if contemplating something.

"… You are going to adore my genius." Shad proclaimed proudly before entering the store with Matthew in tow. Something about the cheesy grin and the strange, strange, _familiarity _in the taller male's face made Matthew scramble through his memories about why he was letting himself be won over by this new friend of his so easily. The answer was at the tip of his tongue yet he found himself unable to string the letters together to form the words that he needed.

A few minutes later, they were out and walking through the busy street again. This time no one bothered them. It was most probably due to the fact that Matthew was barely recognizable after Shad was done with him. The singer on the other hand, was none too happy about his new predicament.

He was wearing a wavy, waist-length black wig and his tee shirt and jeans were replaced with a cream-colored sweater partnered by a light pink skirt. His legs were clad in black leggings and his feet were tucked cozily inside sparkly pink chucks which had tiny silver chains looped at the sides. Matthew felt as if the world was laughing at him and his dumb outfit so he stuck behind Shad, trying to hide himself.

"I'm going to kill youuuuu…" Matthew said between clenched teeth as he squeezed Shad's arm tightly. "Just wait until we get to a secluded place…"

Shad's laughter was muffled by the black face-mask which he had put back on. "Let's take it slow. One baby step at a time, okay? There's no need to rush ourselves into that."

"You just love sexualizing everything, don't you?"

"Of course! Who doesn't love sex?!"

"Stop saying that word in public!"

"What word?"

"The 's' word…"

"Shit?"

Matthew huffed and let go of Shad roughly, mumbling something about hockey and polar bears. Shad's demeanor changed into something softer and he clung to the shorter male's arm, whining like a kicked puppy.

"Matthew… I'm sorry… Please, don't be mad! I'll do anything you want! Please! I love you!"

"Dork." Matthew blushed but smiled. Those three words sent a shocking wave of energy through his body and he suddenly felt as if he could run a thousand miles.

"I know! I'll treat you to a movie."

"A movie?"

"Yes, a movie. Since you told me that you've been so busy that you haven't seen one lately."

Shad once again dragged Matthew, this time towards a movie theater where he bought to tickets to see a romance/fantasy movie (much to Matthew's surprise), two bottles of water, and a big bucket of popcorn. When the smaller blond asked him why he bought only one bucket, the other replied bluntly that he wanted to 'accidentally' hold Matthew's hand while taking popcorn. This made the singer turn red, but he didn't say anything until they were seated in front of the screen.

"Why don't you just hold my hand?"

"Because," Shad said. "This isn't a date. And a friend holding another friend's hand is weird."

"It's only weird when you think it is,"

Shad turned to face him and even went so far as to lower his shades in disbelief. Matthew couldn't see his eyes in the dim lighting of the room although he very much wished that he could. "Do you really want me to hold your hand?"

"I'm just saying."

"Well, it sounds like you're asking me to."

"I'm just saying." Matthew repeated.

Shad turned back to the screen as the movie began to play. Discreetly though, he inched his arm under the armrest and took Matthew's hand lightly. Matthew flinched and looked at Shad who was slumped down on his seat as if embarrassed.

"I thought you said-"

"Shush," Shad whispered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Matthew smiled and laced his fingers with Shad. Coincidentally, the taller teen was drinking water and choked in surprise when he felt the action on his hand. Coughing and spluttering, he drew the attention of the other movie-watchers who were very pissed at the disturbance.

Despite the glares of about thirty people in the nearby area, the singer beside him just laughed in amusement and threw some popcorn his hooded head.

-.x.-.x.-

After the movie, which left them both satisfied despite the lacking climax, they went walking by the shops and pointing out things they liked. They didn't purchase anything though, and both thought that it was more entertaining that way.

"I'd definitely want that shirt." Matthew pointed at the grayish-blue shirt with a brown breast pocket displayed at the front of a men's clothing store.

"That's so plain." Shad commented and swept his arms towards another store which showed a dark purple shirt. Safety pins were the only things attaching the sleeves to the main part of the shirt and there was a print of some sort of rock band on the front. "There. That's an awesome shirt."

"That's so… you." Matthew glanced up at him.

"So me?"

"Yeah. You're dressed like a terrorist, so chic."

"Hey, at least I'm not dressed like a girl."

Matthew punched his shoulder hard. "And whose fault do you think is it?"

"How am I supposed to know? Santa Claus'? Hey-!" Shad ran as Matthew chased him around the street. The taller teen was laughing, dodging people and trashcans, while the blond was cursing under his breath with a murderous glint in his eyes. Both stopped when they heard the crackle of thunder in the sky and a few seconds after the rain was pouring hard over the city. Shad and Matthew raced to a bakery to seek shelter from the big raindrops falling angrily on them.

"Hey, you got wet. I can totally see your bra." Shad teased the blond who just rolled his eyes and wrung the water from his skirt.

"Are you okay with wearing a hoodie, shades, and face-mask at this kind of weather?"

"You obviously underestimate the power of a stalker. I've done this a million times that I've developed immunity to colds."

"That's impossible."

"I'm just awesome that way. Hey look at this." Shad walked forward and out of the range of the roof of the bakery, under the heavy shower, and crouched down. Shad looked up and blinked slowly before closing his eyes. Matthew's puzzlement turned to recognition and he smiled, playing along with Shad's act.

"Shad." Matthew called softly.

Shad's head whipped towards the blond. Matthew ran to him pulled him up and hugged him tightly. The taller teen stiffened.

"I-I'm so sorry, Shad." The Canadian was trying hard not to smile at Shad's imitation of his acting. It was a bit crude but the taller teen had some sense in controlling his emotions.

"I was hoping it was all a lie..." Shad murmured. "I was hoping you'd tell me that whatever in between you and Alfred was a joke... All just a trick on me...But it never came, Matthew..."

"I WAITED AND IT NEVER CAME!" Shad screamed as he wrenched himself from the Canadian. He grabbed Matthew's wig and threw it into a puddle. They were silent, Matthew with wide eyes staring at his wig and Shad with his intense glare on the smaller boy, before both burst into laughter at the sudden improvisation.

"What the hell was that?!" Matthew giggled uncontrollably.

Shad (also laughing) walked towards the wig and tossed it to Matthew who caught it easily, but shrieked as the ball of hair landed on his palms.

"What?" Shad asked in concern.

"It feels like a wet cat!" He dropped the wig onto the ground. "Ew."

"People are gonna wonder what the story is behind this abandoned wig." The taller teen kicked at the black mass of hair.

"Let them wonder." Matthew grinned. "Maybe somebody will write a book about it."

"I'd read that."

They huddled closely as they watched the rain, keeping each other warm and occasionally talking about things that popped in their minds. Matthew found that he did not mind spending time with Shad at all and that he was a very complex person- aside from his fanboy nature. Eventually, their conversation fell to the topic of school.

"I've got this bestfriend in school. Cutest thing ever." Shad began. "And recently we kinda did something that friends shouldn't do."

Matthew gasped. "You didn't-"

"No! No, we didn't have sex! Anyway, that's not the point! It's getting kind of hard to be around him…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I've got this secret… and people usually r-ridicule me about it. What if he gets too close and finds out about this secret and decides not to be my friend anymore?"

"Hmm. You can make this as a test then." Matthew nodded to himself.

"A test?"

"Yes, a test of friendship. Tell him your secret and if he leaves you after, he's not a real friend."

"I don't want to lose him!" Shad said, surprised at Matthew's proposition. "That's a big gamble."

Matthew shrugged. "You don't have to follow my advice."

Shad stared at the floor and Matthew left him alone to his own thoughts. After a few minutes, the rain trickled into a stop.

"Oh. I see the sun again!" Matthew cheered and glanced down at his watch. "Shoot, I need to get back. The director will rip my head off!"

Shad walked Matthew back to the hedge, where they took a peek and assessed the scene in front of them. The director was red and fuming, screaming at his assistants and their incompetence at the simple task of finding Matthew while Anya was tapping her fingers on her lap with a look of irritation on her face. The props-men were haggard and were milling around with nothing to do.

"I am so dead. How many hours has it been?"

"Four." Shad answered quickly.

"Well, fuck." The blond laughed. "That was great though, I don't regret anything."

"That's good. I don't want to wreck your career."

"You won't." Matthew smiled and Shad smiled back.

"Thank you for today, Matthew. It means the world to me, you know, that you would spend four hours with a nerdy stalker like me."

The Canadian smiled wider.

"I'm sorry." The tall male said quietly.

"For what-" Matthew never got to finish his sentence as Shad pressed his clothed lips to Matthew's soft ones quickly.

"For being selfish." Shad replied. He looked away uneasily and ran.

Matthew wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel after all that.

**AN: Some of you might be wondering why Shad's face mask disappears suddenly in some scenes and comes back in another. There is only one answer. **

**Magic.**

**No, I'm just kidding. He takes it off and puts it back on, duh. We wouldn't want people to recognize him with Matthew Williams now, would we? And for some people who might wonder where the heck Gilbert is and why Shad and Matthew are having fluffy moments instead, chill. This fanfic is filed under PruCan for a reason. There is a use for Shad.**

**And for some people wondering where Alfred is, he is with Arthur.**

**I'm kidding, he'll show up soon.**

**This chapter is the product of hours and hours of meditation. Includes bonus feature of cross-dressing!Matthew (because who doesn't love cross-dressing?!) And kisses. Lots of 'em.**

**Thank you for still reading this! No words can express how grateful I am to my beautiful readers!**

**Continue to spread awesomeness! ^^**

**PS: PruCan playlist is currently being processed but I have posted the first chapter for those who want to check it out. Requests are still accepted.**


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